Predecessor means the one who came before, and the name is literal: Bill Ballentine's grandparents arrived from Ireland in 1922 and settled at the base of Howell Mountain, naming the area Deer Park after the family farm back home. In 2015, four generations later, Bill and his son Cole bought the 41-acre Red Lake Vineyard high on the same mountain, adding fifteen more acres in 2022. Roughly eight are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, with no bordering vineyard neighbors — the nearest vines belong to Outpost. Releases are single-varietal and rarely exceed 300 cases; the reserve Cabernet is called Lorraine after Bill's great aunt, from a half-acre block they had to jackhammer through rock to plant, yielding about two barrels a year. Wines are currently made at the family's sister winery, William Cole Vineyards in St. Helena, pending a permit to build on the mountain.